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Marek Eben is considered one of the best Czech TV presenters. He has hosted television shows such as the Czech version of Dancing with the Stars, and his longer-term work in Czech TV includes the talk show Na plovárně (At the swimming-pool) in which he talks with invited celebrities from all over the world. For ten years he has also been the official spokesperson of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. He sings in the folk group Bratri Ebenove (Eben Brothers) whose albums have been awarded Gold and Double Platinum records in the Czech Republic. He has written music for films and at least two dozen plays.
“If your culture is rich and distinct, it serves as your national identity within the European community,” says Marek Eben.
In this episode, Marek Eben interprets Rainis’ poem “Yourself” from the poetry collection “Blue Evening’s Distant Vibrations” (1903) that was written in exile.
So be yourself: fight, think, act on your own,
Be your own master, reap the seeds you've sown. - (Rainis)
“While working on this project, our task is to find codes in the works of Rainis and Aspazija that will speak not only to people in Latvia, but to people throughout Europe. Besides, we have understood that in our hectic everyday life it is not enough just to read excerpts from their works; we have to gain attention using other means. We try to be ambitious and inventive,” explains the producer of the project, Antra Cilinska.
Shooting of #mindpower in the Czech Republic. Photo: Jura Podnieka studija
Shooting of #mindpower in the Czech Republic. Photo: Jura Podnieka studija
Shooting of #mindpower in Riga. Photo: Jura Podnieka studija
The #mindpower (#domasspēks in Latvian) project features a collection of 29 short films in which celebrities from all the EU Member States read excerpts from the works of Rainis and Aspazija in their native language and clothe them in images of their culture. Each week a new video is released on the Presidency’s website EU2015.LV.
You can also watch the episodes on the Presidency’s official Youtube channel.
